Dave Whelan has been accused of antisemitism after the Wigan Athletic owner told the Guardian he believes “Jewish people chase money more than everybody else”.

A Chinese community leader, Jenny Wong, also said Whelan was condoning racism by saying it is “nothing” to call a Chinese person a “chink”.

The comments came on the day one of Wigan’s shirt sponsors, the kitchen appliances firm Premier Range, announced it was ending its agreement with the club, describing its position as “untenable”.

Whelan was explaining his appointment on Wednesday of Malky Mackay as Wigan’s manager, despite Mackay being under investigation by the Football Association for alleged racism and antisemitism over his email and text exchanges while in charge of Cardiff City with Cardiff’s former head of recruitment Iain Moody.

Premier Range said: “The texts Mr Mackay has admitted to sending are wholly unacceptable – and the thoughts expressed within them are a shocking reminder of a past we thought football had left behind. A team that would employ a man who expresses views such as these is not the kind of team Premier Range wish to deal with.”

The three texts or emails Mackay had sent, Whelan said, included one describing the Cardiff City owner, the Malaysian Vincent Tan, as a “chink”. In another, Mackay referred to the Jewish football agent, Phil Smith, saying: “Nothing like a Jew that sees money slipping through his fingers.”

Whelan said he saw neither as offensive, nor did he consider offensive the other text for which he said Mackay was responsible, which referred to there being “enough dogs in Cardiff for us all to go round”, when Mackay signed the South Korea international Kim Bo-kyung.

Whelan said he does not believe the reference to Smith is offensive, first explaining he believed Mackay was only reflecting that Jewish people “love money” like everybody does: “The Jews don’t like losing money. Nobody likes losing money,” Whelan told the Guardian.

Asked whether he did not think what Mackay said was offensive, because the claim that Jews “love money” has been used as a negative stereotype, Whelan said: “Do you think Jewish people chase money a little bit more than we do? I think they are very shrewd people.” Asked if he himself believed that, Whelan, the multimillionaire former owner of JJB Sports, said: “I think Jewish people do chase money more than everybody else. I don’t think that’s offensive at all.”

Whelan said he did not think there was “a lot wrong” with anything Mackay said, and there was no malice or disrespect in the statement about Smith. He added: “It’s telling the truth. Jewish people love money, English people love money; we all love money.”

His remarks were condemned by Simon Johnson, the former FA and Premier League executive, who is Jewish and is the chief executive at the Jewish Leadership Council. “Unfortunately Mr Mackay and now Mr Whelan have referred to some of the worst old-fashioned tropes which have been used in the past as the basis of antisemitism and stereotyping of Jewish people,” he said. “Mackay used offensive language to insult a fellow participant in football using a tawdry racial stereotype.”

Whelan said “We’re all against racism in football” and that it was right that Mackay has attended diversity education courses. However, he said the word “chink” is not offensive, and that he used to say it of Chinese people when he was young. “If any Englishman said he has never called a Chinaman a chink he is lying,” Whelan said. “There is nothing bad about doing that. It is like calling the British Brits, or the Irish paddies.” Wong, director of the Manchester Chinese Centre, an organisation devoted to Chinese community cultural understanding, said chink “is an insult, racist”.

“I remember at school in the 70s a skinhead kicking me, calling me ‘chinky, chinky,’” Wong said. “It has stopped now; things have changed for the better. We have legal protection against racism and that is important; it is not political correctness. As a football manager, this man should not have said it.”

Whelan told the Guardian he has been advised by two “influential” people at the top of the FA that “nothing will come” from the investigation into Mackay, largely because the exchanges were in private communications, which the FA chairman Greg Dyke has previously said are beyond the organisation’s disciplinary processes. The FA said: “No assurances have been given as to the outcome of this case.”

At least he's taken the focus off McKay

The reality is he comes from a different generation where these sort of things were the norm he's never going to change because he doesn't see what he's doing wrong.

Can see a carefully worded statement coming out soon but he's lost himself a lot of goodwill from not only appointing McKay while he's under investigation by the FA but also endorsing the sort of behaviour that got him in trouble in the 1st place.

The Malaysian businessman criticised Whelan for using derogatory comments about Jews and the word "chink" in an interview with a national newspaper.

Whelan has denied being racist, but Tan said: "I think he insulted the dignity of all Jewish people. I think he insulted the dignity of Chinese."

Tan also hit out at former Cardiff manager Malky Mackay.

The Scot was appointed as Wigan boss this week but is still under investigation by the Football Association following allegations he made racist, sexist and homophobic comments in text messages and emails sent while he was in charge of Cardiff.

Mackay has apologised and denied being racist, but Tan, who sacked the 42-year-old last year amid acrimonious circumstances, leading to a legal dispute, thinks the decision to make him Wigan manager is a mistake.

Football Association statement "The FA is very concerned to read about the comments that have been attributed to Dave Whelan. We take all forms of discrimination seriously. As with all such cases, this will be dealt with as a priority. The investigation is already under way and The FA's Governance Division have written to Mr Whelan. He has three working days to respond."

"This is a racist chairman hiring a racist manager," Tan told BBC Sport's David Ornstein. "I hope that stops at two racists in Wigan, not snowballing to 2,000 or 20,000 racists in Wigan."

Tan also said there are more revelations to come surrounding Mackay's time at Cardiff.

"Mr Whelan and Wigan do not know yet what more is coming for this man they have just hired," he said. "They will, I believe, regret hiring him."

Both Whelan and Mackay have refused to respond to Tan's comments.

But Whelan has apologised for remarks he made in an interview with The Guardian, although he has insisted he was misquoted and did not intend any racial slight.

The newspaper reported that the 77-year-old used the word "chink" and also said that "Jewish people chase money more than everybody else".

"If I have upset one person, I apologise," said Whelan.

"All I was trying to say was that Jewish people are very similar to the English people in the desire to work hard and get money. I didn't think I did anything wrong in that."

Steve Bruce, the Hull City manager who twice worked under Whelan at Wigan, has also defended his former employer.

"I know him very, very well," said Bruce. "There's no racism in him at all.

Play mediaJump media playerMedia player helpOut of media player. Press enter to return or tab to continue.Whelan sorry for offensive comments"Sometimes words can be said which can be misplaced, they can be out there in the public domain, but certainly when I've worked with him there's been no sign of racism."

Jewish Leadership Council chief executive Simon Johnson, a former FA and Premier League executive, says Whelan should withdraw his comments.

"For somebody in a leadership position in football, like Dave Whelan, to make such comments that effectively re-ignite a very old, revolting racial stereotype is offensive not just to Jewish people but to anybody who wants to see racism kicked out of football completely," he told BBC Sport.

"I have no doubt that he did not intend to be offensive. The problem is that he was."

The FA issued a statement on Friday saying it had opened an investigation into Whelan's comments.

"The FA is very concerned to read about the comments that have been attributed to Dave Whelan," it read.

"We take all forms of discrimination seriously. As with all such cases, this will be dealt with as a priority.

"The investigation is already under way and The FA's Governance Division have written to Mr Whelan. He has three working days to respond."

Anti-racism campaigner Kick It Out has already questioned whether Whelan is a "fit and proper person" to run a football club.

Tan agrees with Kick It Out.

"Age doesn't matter in this," he said. "The fact is he's a leader of a big football club, he's sending the wrong message to the followers and supporters in the club, he's telling them it's all right to be a racist.

"Do you think that is proper? So I am asking whether he is fit and proper to be chairman of a football club in the UK for what he has said."

Asked if he though Whelan should be removed from his position, Tan responded: "I think the FA should take action, but I'll leave it to the FA."

Vincent Tan on possible FA action "I think the world is watching what the FA will do. Will it be a regulator on football matters with teeth or a toothless regulator?"

Tan says he hopes English football's governing body "considers carefully" the cases of both Mackay and Whelan.

Tan also says Whelan is wrong to have hired Mackay before the FA's investigation into the Scot is complete.

"Appointing Malky Mackay is not good for Wigan's image and for Mr Whelan's image, in view of the fact that the FA is investigating this and no decision has been made yet," said Tan.

He is also concerned that Whelan seems to think the FA are unlikely to take action against Mackay.

"If that is true and if the FA is taking this matter lightly, I must say I am very disappointed," said Tan. "The FA must understand that the whole world is watching."

Tan cited the recent case in the United States involving Donald Sterling, the former owner of basketball team the Los Angeles Clippers.

Sterling was forced to sell the club by the National Basketball Association after making racist comments to his reported girlfriend.

"I think the world is watching what the FA will do," said Tan. "Will it be a regulator on football matters with teeth or a toothless regulator?"

Dave Whelan could be ordered to take an equality and diversity education course if the Football Association finds him guilty of aggravated misconduct over his comments to the Guardian about Jewish and Chinese people. Whelan is likely also to be fined if found guilty. FA sanctions, which were overhauled last year, also provide for directors to be barred from football stadiums for a period of time, although there is no indication yet that this would be considered.

The FA charged Whelan with an aggravated breach of its rule against improper conduct and bringing the game into disrepute, just one day after receiving the Wigan Athletic owner’s “observations” on Wednesday about his comments. Football’s governing body said it is alleged Whelan breached the relevant rule, E3(1) of the FA handbook, because his comments were “abusive and/or insulting and/or constitute improper conduct and/or bring the game into disrepute”.

The charge alleges this breach was “aggravated”, according to the FA’s rule E3(2), because “it included a reference to ethnic origin and/or race and/or nationality and/or religion or belief”.

This is the same aggravated rule breach of which Liverpool’s Luis Suárez and Chelsea’s John Terry were found guilty for on-field abuse of rival players, and West Bromwich Albion’s Nicolas Anelka for using the antisemitic “quenelle” gesture.

Whelan made his comments to the Guardian, and other remarks to other media outlets, after appointing Malky Mackay as Wigan’s manager last week. Mackay is still under FA investigation for alleged similar aggravated misconduct in text and email messages he exchanged while he was the manager of Cardiff City with that club’s then head of recruitment, Iain Moody. Mackay’s messages, which Whelan said he did not believe were offensive, included a statement about the football agent Phil Smith, who is Jewish: “Nothing like a Jew that sees money slipping through his fingers.”

Mackay also referred to Vincent Tan, the Malaysian Cardiff City owner, as “the chink” and made an allegedly derogatory remark in relation to the South Korean international Kim Bo-kyung.

Explaining why he was relaxed about appointing Mackay with the FA’s investigation still ongoing, and did not believe these messages were offensive, Whelan compared use of the word “chink” to describing a British person as a “Brit”.

Of the Smith comment, at first he said Mackay was only reflecting that Jewish people “love money” like everybody does, and so do not like losing money. Asked if he did not believe the comment actually was offensive because claiming Jews “love money” has been used as a negative stereotype, Whelan told the Guardian he believed “Jewish people chase money more than everybody else”.

He said that was not offensive because Jews are “shrewd people”.

The remarks were strongly condemned by Jewish and Chinese community groups. The British Chinese Project and seven other Chinese political and cultural organisations welcomed the FA’s “quick, decisive” charging of Whelan. In a statement after Whelan’s comments, the organisations said emphatically the word “chink” is racist.

“To draw a parallel [between using the word “chink” and describing a British person as a Brit] is ignorant and offensive,” the statement said, “as it fails to understand the nature of racism and belittles the experiences of those who have suffered racism.”

The FA’s charge was also welcomed by the Board of Deputies of British Jews. “We commend the FA for acting quickly and decisively, sending out a message to players and supporters that racist and divisive language of the kind that Whelan has used will not be tolerated either on or off the pitch. We will be watching the result closely,” said their vice president, Jonathan Arkush.

Whelan has six full working days, to 6pm on 5 December, to respond to the charge.

The Wigan Athletic owner Dave Whelan has risked further outrage among ethnic communities by referring to the Chinese as “chingalings”.

In what was supposed to be an apology to the Jewish community, Whelan gave an interview in which he sought to limit the damage caused by a piece in the Guardian in which he said he believed that “Jewish people chase money more than everybody else”.

At the time Whelan was trying to qualify the appointment of Malky Mackay as Wigan’s manager, despite Mackay being under investigation by the Football Association for alleged racism and antisemitism over email and text exchanges while in charge of Cardiff City, one of which apparently described the Cardiff City owner Vincent Tan as “a chink”.

Whelan had defended the use of the term to the Guardian, saying: “If any Englishman said he has never called a Chinaman a chink he is lying. There is nothing bad about doing that. It is like calling the British Brits, or the Irish paddies.” The comment was instantly condemned by the Chinese community as being an insult and racist.

Following the comments the FA charged him with breaching its rule against improper conduct and bringing the game into disrepute; on Thursday it granted him an extra week to provide a response.

In the meantime he has risked digging a deeper hole for himself by telling the Jewish Telegraph: “When I was growing up we used to call the Chinese ‘chingalings’. We weren’t being disrespected [sic]. We used to say: ‘We’re going to eat in chingalings.’

“The Chinese weren’t offended by that. That was the name everyone in Wigan called [the first Chinese cafe in Wigan].”

Michael Wilkes on behalf of the British Chinese Project, an organisation giving the Chinese community a voice in the UK, responded by saying: “Once again, Mr Whelan, rather distressingly, believes he can speak on behalf of Chinese people.

“His comments are extremely unhelpful in our fight to end discrimination and racism against Chinese people in the UK. Once more, he is using a public platform to tell a wide audience what Chinese people find offensive.

“Contrary to what Mr Whelan may believe, the vast majority of our community deem the terms ‘chink’ and ‘chingaling’ highly offensive. For many in the Chinese community these words hold deep emotional resonance, as they are often used in conjunction with racial violence, harassment and hate crimes.

“Therefore, to say that ‘there is nothing wrong’ with using such terms or that Chinese people ‘aren’t offended’ by their use, demonstrates a dangerous level of ignorance.

“We have noticed that Mr Whelan has truly gone out of his way to apologise to the Jewish community, it is a shame that the same level of apology hasn’t been extended to the Chinese community.

“We can assure him that we are just as angry and just as offended as the Jewish community, and call upon him to think of the implications of broadcasting his ill-conceived and ignorant views to a wide audience.

“We are pleased that the FA charged Mr Whelan last week and will be keeping a close eye on his response to the charge.”

Ironically, the comments came on a day when Wigan warned those attending the home game with Norwich on Saturday that anyone using “inappropriate language” runs the risk of being ejected from the match.

Whelan’s remarks came as he continued his attempts to rebuild bridges with the Jewish community by giving credit to “two Jewish boys” for setting him on his way in business after his career was effectively ended by a broken leg when playing for Blackburn Rovers in the 1960 FA Cup final.

“Those two boys, they were absolutely a treasure, teaching me margins,” the founder of JJB Sports, said. “Those two lads set me on the road to it all. I hope they come forward because they were so, so helpful to me.”

In a sign of the dismay his comments had caused, a fundraising breakfast for a Jewish charity in Manchester where Whelan was due to speak has been called off after donors threatened to withdraw their support.

The chairman of Manchester Jewish Community Care, Brian White, told the Jewish Telegraph: “A number of people felt he shouldn’t be given the opportunity and we always listen to our donors. People were expressing displeasure and we felt we couldn’t risk the organisation suffering.”

Whelan was said by the paper to be making a £5,000 donation to the Jewish charity Brookvale for the Mentally Handicapped.

He has also offered the Manchester King David School football team the chance to play a Wigan Athletic junior side and will accept an invitation to address their pupils.

In a repeat of earlier regrets he has expressed in the wake of the Guardian’s story, he said: “I apologise profusely to anyone who has taken offence because I would never offend the Jewish community under any circumstances.

“I have nothing but respect for them. They’re hard-working people, they’re honest people. They fight for what they believe in.

“There’s nobody could knock the Jewish community. For them to accuse me of that, it hurts me a lot.

“Never have I made anti-Jewish comments. We have always, always respected what the Jewish people did, especially through the war.

“We’ve always respected how those Jewish [people] stood up to every single thing they were put through, torture, horrendous.

“And I have nothing but the highest regard and respect for the Jewish people.”

Following Whelan’s original comments two of Wigan’s sponsors, the kitchen appliances firm Premier Range and the energy drinks firm Ipro, ended their agreements with the club.

Malky Mackay has been sacked as Wigan manager after 138 days in charge of the Championship strugglers.

The 43-year-old former Cardiff City boss, appointed on 19 November following the departure of Uwe Rosler, secured 19 points from a possible 72.

He was sacked following Monday's 2-0 home defeat by Derby County, a result that leaves the Latics eight points adrift of safety with five games left.

"This is a very difficult decision," said Wigan chairman David Sharpe.

"But I feel that for the long-term future of the club, there needs to be a change now."

Wigan's defeat by Derby means they have not won a home league game since 30 August, a run of 18 matches.

The club said no decision has been made regarding Mackay's replacement.

The Scot's appointment last November caused controversy as he was still being investigated by the Football Association after claims he sent texts of a homophobic, racist and sexist nature while at Cardiff.

Mackay admitted sending messages that were "disrespectful of other cultures" and the FA's investigation is ongoing.

Dave Whelan, then chairman of Wigan, was banned, fined and ordered to attend an FA education programme after making racist comments while defending Mackay's appointment.

Wigan were 22nd at the time and Mackay has failed to turn around their fortunes.

He gave no indication his departure was imminent as he spoke following the defeat by Derby.

"I thought we were terrific in the first half," he said.

"I thought we showed courage and we kept going, and we had four chances in their six-yard box.

Only 138 days separated the hiring and firing of Wigan manager Malky Mackay - but perhaps more significant is the likely turnaround between the Latics winning the FA Cup as a Premier League team and being relegated to the third tier.

On 11 May 2013, Ben Watson's winner caused one of the biggest shocks in FA Cup final history as Wigan beat Manchester City to secure the first major trophy of their 81-year history.

By 3 May 2015, they could be looking at spending next season in League One. Wigan have five games to stay in the Championship and are eight points from safety.

It is a huge task for a managerless side (the Latics have recruited and sacked three bosses since that FA Cup triumph under Roberto Martinez) who have not won a home league game since August.

So how have Wigan found themselves in this predicament?

Boardroom confusion

When Mackay was dismissed on Monday, the club statement noting that no decision had been made on a replacement featured accompanying quotes from 23-year-old chairman David Sharpe, grandson of owner Dave Whelan.

The fact the youngster has found himself in such a lofty position is down to the bizarre circumstances surrounding Mackay's appointment last November by previous chairman Whelan.

The Scot was still under investigation by the Football Association for allegedly sending racist, sexist and homophobic text messages while in charge at Cardiff City. Whelan's judgement was called into question and it was queried further when the then 77-year-old made racist and anti-Semitic comments himself.

Whelan apologised but was still banned and fined by the FA - though it concluded he was not a racist - and the embarrassing episode led to Sharpe replacing him as chairman after 20 years in the role.

For a man who had taken Wigan from the fourth tier of English football to the Premier League in 10 years, it was a ignominious withdrawal from football's front line.

It might be too late to save the side from demotion now, but at least with Mackay gone, any further repercussions from his ongoing investigation will not land Wigan in more trouble.

Managerial instability

It may be tempting to cast Wigan as a side that disintegrated once Martinez left but perhaps the real downfall has come with the abandonment of the club's managerial stability.

Martinez was in place for four years between June 2009 and June 2013, but since then Wigan have been through three bosses - Owen Coyle, Uwe Rosler and now Mackay.

"Wigan have gone through this really strange phase, where they used to be a club that didn't sack their manager very readily," says BBC football commentator John Motson.

"Obviously they've decided they want to start again and whoever gets the job will be doing it in League One."

Martinez cannot absolve himself of all responsibility, though. The Spaniard led the team to FA Cup glory and Europe, yet he also oversaw their relegation to the Championship three days later, ending an eight-season stay in the top flight.

In some senses Martinez's success also led to Wigan's predicament the following season. Combining a gruelling Championship schedule with the Europa League left his replacement, Coyle, with little time to stamp his authority on the team.

Coyle, who led Burnley to the Premier League in 2009, was given funds to build his own side, but he lasted less than six months in the job with Whelan having reservations about the Scot's team selections. His compensation package cost £500,000.

Former Brentford boss Uwe Rosler fared better as he guided the Latics to the 2014 FA Cup semi-finals and the Championship play-offs.

However, three wins in 17 league games this season, and a defeat by League Two Burton in the Capital One Cup was enough for Whelan to act again. The German was in the job less than 12 months.

His successor Mackay had led Cardiff to the 2012 League Cup final and into the Premier League the following season so there was some sympathy when he was sacked by owner Vincent Tan - but rather less of it once the accusations about the Scot's text messages came to light.

Whelan was keen to emphasise Mackay had learned from his mistakes - and presumably hopeful an improvement on the field would see the issue of his past behaviour set aside. But he could not improve their wretched home form and took only 19 points from a possible 72.

A disintegrating team

Relegation from the Premier League always challenges a club to balance the books and it has led to a player overhaul at the DW Stadium.

The blow for relegated clubs is softened by so-called 'parachute payments' - Wigan have received £32m since they dropped into the Championship and are due another £16m over the next two years.

Yet four managers in three years has meant a lack of continuity on the field, and defender Emmerson Boyce is the only player left from the FA Cup-winning side.

Midfielder James McCarthy and forward Arouna Kone were the first to move on as they joined Martinez at Everton in the summer of 2013.

Coyle used the Premier League funds to recruit the likes of winger James McClean, plus strikers Grant Holt and Martyn Waghorn.

But after he and Rosler failed deliver a return to the top flight, Jordi Gomez left for Sunderland and James McArthur headed to Crystal Palace.

And the break-up of the Wembley team was almost complete when Mackay oversaw the departures of Watson, Shaun Maloney and Callum McManaman in January's transfer window.

Mackay said after those losses: "I have made it clear that we need a squad of hungry players who are 100% focused and committed to the job here."

Perhaps those departing had seen where things were heading.

Back where they belong?

Wigan's win at Wembley was the pinnacle for a club that was at the foot of the fourth tier when Whelan took over in 1995.

Their rise to the Premier League over the next decade, and the eight years they spent there, is a remarkable feat.

But critics of the team's success have always pointed at poor attendances at the DW Stadium, with their average home gate only rising above 20,000 for one season of their Premier League stint.

That average dropped from 19,375 during their last season in the top flight to 15,176 in last season's Championship campaign, and this season it has slumped to just over 12,000.

Given it is a town more associated with rugby league, some will say Wigan are now re-finding their real level after a stellar period.

Former Luton boss David Pleat said: "Someone once told me, if your club hasn't got enough of a captive audience - chimney pots, he described it - you need to be in an area where, if you get success, you can attract crowds and unfortunately Wigan have never been able to do that.

"They did wonderfully well to stay in the top division for eight seasons, emulating Watford, Wimbledon and Luton. It is so difficult to do these days when the big clubs get the big revenues.

"I just feel there's an inevitability about their situation now - it's a great shame and just proves how well they did to win a cup and to do so well in the Premier League."

Championship strugglers Wigan Athletic have parted company with boss Warren Joyce after only four months.

The Latics lost 1-0 at home to fellow relegation candidates Bristol City on Saturday to leave them four points from safety with nine games remaining.

Former Manchester United Under-21 manager Joyce, 52, took over in November after Gary Caldwell's sacking but only won six of 24 games in charge.

Assistant manager Graham Barrow will take charge for the rest of the season.

"It is unfortunate that we have made this decision but with the team in such a perilous position in the league, we need to act now because we cannot afford to fall any further behind," said chairman David Sharpe.

"Results and performances have simply not been up to standard often enough in recent matches.

"Although we acknowledge the difficulties faced in managing a team in a league where we are competing against clubs with much larger budgets, the nature of some of our recent defeats, especially against close rivals, has fallen short in terms of what we as a club, and all our supporters, expect."

Former Bolton, Preston, Plymouth, Burnley and Hull City midfielder Joyce signed a three-and-a-half-year contract with Wigan, but has left along with first team coach Andy Welsh.

After winning the League One title last season, the Latics have struggled in the second tier, and are the lowest scorers, having failed to find the net in 10 of their last 14 home matches.

Barrow, 62, is a former Wigan midfielder and manager who returned to the club in 2009 to work as a coach under Roberto Martinez.

Shame it hasn't worked out for him will be interesting to see what he does now I'm sure he'd be welcomed back to Utd as part of the academy setup but I guess he'll want to have another crack at first team management

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